Sending a warm welcome email is a best practice when it comes to managing your blog’s email subscribers. Of course, sending each individual person an email would be super nice, but probably would take way too much time!
Luckily, many email marketing platforms allow you to send a welcome email automatically! I’m going to walk you through creating an automatic welcome email for new subscribers to receive right after when they sign up for your mailing.
If you are new to email marketing, read my guide on getting started with email marketing for bloggers.
If you’re struggling with growing your mailing list, read my list of actionable ways to get more blog subscribers.
Ok, let’s talk about welcome emails for bloggers!
What Should a Welcome Email Include?
You’re probably wondering what on earth this welcome email should say!
I like to thank people for subscribing to my blog, and then include a list of popular blog posts that solve certain problems they may be facing. I also like to include a list of my blog’s most popular posts in case one will peak their interest.
Blog Welcome Email Ideas
Here are some of the best blog welcome email ideas you can use to send your new blog subscribers a friendly hello.
Offer a Freebie
One of the best ways to get readers to sign up for your email newsletter is to offer them something for free. This could be a checklist, a printable, a graphic, a PDF, or something else that will help them in their daily life. Offering a freebie in your first welcome email is a fantastic idea to show your blog readers that you provide value to their life.
Deliver Value to the Reader
A welcome email should always provide value to the reader. Depending on your niche topic, you’ll need to figure out what exactly your audience desires most. It could be a tip on how to do some thing better, cheaper, or faster, or it could be a piece of advice that you’ve learned related to your niche blog topic.
Offer to Respond to Reader Questions
Another great idea for your blogs welcome email is to offer to respond to reader questions. This helps to establish your blog as a trusted resource who is knowledgeable on the topic you write about.
Share Your Popular Posts
If someone signed up to your email list, that means that they’re very interested in what you have to say! So why not share your most popular blog posts with them?
Ask for Feedback from Your Audience
Lastly, I love to close my first welcome email they asking for feedback from my audience. I asked him what post resonated with them the most and what they feel is missing from my website. Asking your audience what they want to read about is a great way to get new blog post ideas while making your audience feel valued.
One Welcome Email vs. Welcome Series
Many bloggers like to create a welcome series of several emails that go out periodically to new blog subscribers. This is a great way to keep your audience engaged over a longer period of time. However sending a welcome series comes with complications. You don’t want to bother audience too often to the point where they unsubscribe from your list. That’s why many new bloggers opt for just one welcome email instead of creating a welcome series.
If you prefer to create a blog welcome series, keep these things in mind.
How many emails should a welcome series have? A blog welcome series should have no more than seven emails in a sequence.
How far apart should the welcome emails be sent? Your welcome email sequence should be sent at least one day apart. However it’s even better to send emails at least 2 to 3 days apart to make sure that you aren’t annoying your audience.
Truthfully, this really depends on your niche. If your niche is very engaged on a life-changing topic like making money or investment advice, you can probably get away with emailing yoru audience every day. However, if you’re a hobby blogger and write about leisurely topics, you’ll be better off emailing your audience occasionally.
Automate Your Blog’s Welcome Email
Most modern email marketing platforms offer a way to automate your blog’s welcome email sequence. I use Mailchimp and it’s easy to create an automatic email that sends out when someone joins my mailing list.
After the subscriber confirms their email, they receive my welcome email. You can see my blog’s welcome email by subscribing to my email list at the end of this post!
Read: Create a Mailchimp Automated Welcome Email
Common Welcome Email Sequence Mistakes
Watch out for these common welcome email sequence mistakes often made by inexperienced bloggers!
Your Subject Line Isn’t Enticing
If you’re going to create an email sequence, you need to make sure that every subject line you write makes the reader want to open the email you’re sending. If you write a subject line that doesn’t peak much interest, your open rate will drop and you may have deliverability issues in the future. Subscribe to as many mailing lists as you can and analyze the subject lines used by those bloggers. Take note of which emails you feel inclined to open and which ones you don’t.
Most email clients now support emojis in the subject line. You’ll notice that many bloggers are now using these colorful little icons to attract attention in your email inbox. You can play around with adding emojis to your email subject lines and see if this helps your open rate.
Trying to Sell Something Too Fast
Another very common mistake that many bloggers make with their email list is trying to sell something too fast. There is a common advice phrase in the email marketing world called “Date your list.” The idea is that you should build up the relationship with your audience slowly instead of trying to sell them some thing right off the bat. Get your audience to trust you first before pushing expensive products and courses on them.
Think about it: You wouldn’t like if someone propose marriage to you on the first date. It’s the same with your email list. Don’t sell them something and ask them to invest in you before they really know you!
Your Writing isn’t Targeted to Your Audience
Many bloggers forget who their audience is. This is why defining your audience in the early stages of blogging is incredibly important. You need to target your audience with razor-sharp precision to make sure that everything you’re saying is relevant to them and their needs.
For example, you may be running a mom blog but what kind of moms are reading your blog? There are lots of different types of mothers out there!
Are you targeting a stay at home mom or a busy mom who works two part-time jobs? Maybe you’re targeting moms who work as lawyers or have corporate jobs during the day.
Know your audience like the back of your hand and make sure you write for that person. In blogging, it’s better to have a smaller and target audience than a large and general readership.
I hope this welcome email tips for bloggers have been helpful for you as you create your first welcome email sequence. Welcoming new readers to your blog helps establish trust between your audience and you as an author. Let me know if you have any questions on sending welcome emails in the comments below!